By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Thu Le had never visited a prison. The Wyoming resident never had a reason to visit one, but as part of the Diocese of Grand Rapids’ class of permanent deacons, Le was required to do so.

“As we go through the process, we learn that serving is not just about serving the church, but serving others who may not be part of the church,” Le said during an interview at his home church, Wyoming’s Our Lady of La-Vang. “I knew if people had known Christ and God they would not have gotten themselves in that situation. It is hard to describe what it is like until you can see it. For those there, it is really terrible to face it.”

Participating in prison ministry is not easy, but neither is becoming a deacon or serving as one, admitted Deacon Jim Hessler, the Diocese of Grand Rapids’ director of diaconate formation, overseeing the deacon program.

There are two types of deacons, transitional, those who use it to move on to priesthood, and permanent, those who will remain as deacons. Permanent deacons come from their local parishes, having demonstrated years of service and dedication and showing they have the “heart” of a deacon.

“The heart cannot be created in any formation class,” said Hessler of the most important element to becoming a permanent deacon. “It must be a pre-existing attribute in the man’s nature. It is the heart that demonstrates good judgement, kindness, empathy, even-temperament, humility, concern for the poor, gentleness, and generosity of spirit.”

The deacon process takes four years, involving academic coursework along with human psychological, pastoral and spiritual formation. In addition, there is training through internships in healthcare, hospice, liturgy, and jail and street ministry. Most of the programming takes place on evenings and weekends as most candidates have jobs.

Because of the time commitment, the family, especially the wife, have to give their permission for a person to even start the process, Hessler said.

Of the 16 who applied for candidacy, only 10 were accepted in a special Mass last November lead by Bishop Walkowiak. As the group continues the process of learning and reflecting, candidates may drop for one reason or another, Hessler said.

The 10 accepted last fall were the first permanent deacon class in the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 15 years.

“Different bishops have different goals,” Hessler said. “The focus of our previous bishop, Bishop Walter Hurley, had been on aligning the church so it could meet future demands. [This included the development of the Cathedral Square pulling all of the Diocese’s services into one area.] Our current bishop, Bishop David Walkowiak, has had a different focus with him reinstating the deacon program.”

But what also makes this class unique is that of the 10, the two candidates from the City of Wyoming are from countries that often do not have deacons working in the church.

According, Fides, a news agency for a department of the Vatican, there is more than 46,000 permanent deacons in the world serving about 1.3 billion Catholics with the largest increase being in the Americas. This was as of Dec. 31, 2016. According to Hessler, 50 percent of the world’s deacons are in the United States and the other 50 percent live in the rest of the world. So many countries like Vietnam and Mexico often have no deacons serving at the local church.

“I don’t remember a deacon at my church in Mexico,” said Byron Center resident José Saucedo, who is at Wyoming’s St. Joseph the Worker Parish. “However, I have been involved with St. Joseph for 15 years and we have two deacons, so I was very familiar with who a deacon is and what they do.”

Saucedo said when he was little he wanted to be a priest. Having worked closely with the deacons at his church, especially through the Cursillo Movement program, he saw the need for another deacon who could speak Spanish and work with the Hispanic community.

“The Hispanic community is growing,” Saucedo said, “and there is a need for help as many still do no speak English. We have two priests who speak Spanish and three deacons who speak Spanish, but the need is greater.”

Le’s story is similar in that he too has worked closely with the deacon at Our Lady of La-Vang. He was approached by his parish at the possibility of becoming a deacon and with his deacon looking at retirement, Le too felt a calling to serve his community.

The two men acknowledge they have a long road to go, three more years, before assuming their positions. There is no guarantee they will remain at their respective churches as the Bishop will decide where they are needed. They also will serve without pay, working their full-time jobs.

“I had a couple of friends who started the process but they did not continue,” Saucedo said, adding he is not certain why they did not continue. “It has its ups and downs, and you have some doubts and wonder ‘why me?’”

But both Saucedo and Le knew the process would be a challenge and regardless if they completed it, they also knew it would give them a greater understanding of their Church and service.

“If I didn’t do it, I would have regretted it, so I am glad I did it,” Saucedo said.

Just like Le is glad that through the permanent deacon program, he had the opportunity to participate in serving the prison, so much so that he has made a commitment to continue exploring that ministry.